


tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

by SeeThemFlying



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Love Realisations, Modern AU, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Tension, ficletfireworks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeeThemFlying/pseuds/SeeThemFlying
Summary: When Brienne goes away to Wintefell for Sevenmas, Jaime begins to re-evaluate his feelings for her...
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 47
Kudos: 123
Collections: JB Festive Festival Exchange Stocking Stuffers 2020





	tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrettyThief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyThief/gifts).



> So, the lovely PrettyThief asked for "that warm, fuzzy feeling of seeing someone you love for the first time after a long time apart" as one of her prompts, so I have tried to do a riff on that. I love all her work, so I hope she enjoys this!
> 
> (PS. This is more a vibe than anything else that just came to me and I had to write it down. Unbeta'd but I will probably start noticing the mistakes in the next half an hour).

At the beginning of December, Jaime had driven Brienne to Rosby airport just in time for her flight to Winterfell, with only the _slightest_ bit of whinging, while the snow whirled around them like they were trapped in a snow globe.

"I don't get why you have to go for a _whole month,_ " he had said, making sure to drive extra slowly in the off chance that she might _accidentally_ miss her flight. "Sevenmas is only one day, and it is not as if the Starks are known for their holiday spirit. At least if you stayed here you could come to the Lannister Gala with me. My dad might be a tight bastard, but he knows how to throw a mean party."

Brienne had laughed in that way that made the corner of her eyes crinkle and Jaime's heart skip a beat. "The Starks are basically family, though. I've known them since I was tiny. And my _actual_ family will be there too - my dad is flying up from Tarth - so I can't miss it. Basically all the important people in my life will be there."

Up until that moment, Jaime had not realised he could be gut punched by words.

" _I_ won't be there."

At his slightly accusatory tone, Brienne had flushed in the way she was prone to and turned her face away from him so that she could stare out of the window. Their snow globe was not full of the fluffy, happy kind of precipitation, but the miserable, slushy stuff. Given that Jaime had been missing Brienne even before she left, he was pretty sure it was fitting.

"No," she had mumbled. "You won't be there."

The rest of the car journey had been undertaken in silence until Brienne finally spotted the sign for Terminal 4 and nearly nosedived out the car in an effort to get away from him. Jaime grimaced. Surprisingly, watching Brienne flee from him had hurt like a kick in the balls; everything was normally so easy between them, that this new tension was strange.

As Brienne had hefted her enormous suitcase out of the boot of his car - with the skill and speed of a weightlifter - Jaime had come to stand next to her. It had been very cold, making her breath a mist before his eyes. He had wondered whether stepping closer would keep her warm.

"Have you got everything?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Your thermals?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? It gets cold in Winterfell."

"Yes, I'm sure," Brienne had snapped, a little too forcefully. In a moment, she had realised her error and her expression softened. It had been strangely vulnerable. “I’m s-s-sorry. I'm just worried about missing my flight."

"Then go," Jaime had said teasingly. "You are only... _ooh_... three hours early. Your meticulously laid plan is hanging by a thread."

Brienne had pulled a disapproving face at him - half joking, half real - then settled into the silence like a dove taking wing. His wench had always been delicate, even though she was a tall, strong woman who could break him in half with ease.

She had bit her bottom lip, rouged in the cold.

"Happy Sevenmas, Jaime," she said softly, her eyes the brightest colour in the world against the drab Terminal. "I-I-I'll see you in the New Year."

Jaime had not understood why she was stammering; maybe it had been the freezing weather.

"Yeah, okay."

Looking back, Jaime wishes he had said something more profound, as Brienne's tentative smile had dimmed as if she were hurt by his lack of effusiveness. Yet, before he could say anything to smooth over the cracks, she had leant forward and kissed his cheek, stealing the words right out of his mouth.

The rest of December had passed in a blur, only marked by the little notes Jaime made in his calendar.

_One day without Brienne. Two days without Brienne. Four days without Brienne. Nine days without Brienne. Seventeen days without Brienne._

Although he has called her every day, the apartment is quiet without her; Jaime misses her singing in the shower, the tuneless humming as she makes her breakfast, her gentle breathing as they watch TV together. He misses her moose laugh, the awkward snorts she makes when she's really in hysterics, and her chiding reminders to tidy up their shared space and not whinge about absolutely everything.

He misses her so much that he invites Addam round on Sevenmas Eve, so they can drink several cans of beers and watch the football. Although Addam hasn't got pretty blue eyes, a face covered in freckles, and a gentle way of smiling at him on a bad day, he is friendly and knows a lot about football so is good company. It is better than being alone.

"Who is your money on? The _Stormlander Swordsmen_ or the _Lannisport Lions?"_

"The _Lannisport Lions,_ " says Jaime, before taking a sip of his beer. "I can't betray the home team."

Even as he says it, Jaime can't help but think of Brienne. She is a major _Stormlander Swordsmen_ fan and they often watch the football together. Normally, when the going gets tough, he lays his head on her lap as she runs her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp firmly but gently. He forgives her for being a _Stormlander_ fan for that. Nobody else has ever treated him like Brienne does before - with quiet reverence - so he never makes fun of her when her favourite team loses.

Well... only a little bit.

"So, where's your girlfriend?"

Jaime does not dignify that comment with direct eye contact, and just takes a sip of his beer. "I have no idea who you are talking about, Addam."

"Yes, you do," laughs Addam. "Your big friendly giantess. Brienne."

Jaime shrugs. He doesn't really want to think about her. "She's up in Winterfell visiting friends. Apparently, partying with the Starks sounds much better than spending Sevenmas with me."

"You sound jealous."

"I'm _not_ jealous," Jaime insists, taking another sip of his beer. "It's just..."

"What?"

Jaime looks for the words while he watches a group of _Stormlander Swordsmen_ dribbling the ball to one another in a big square. It seems to be a metaphor for his life. "She said that all the important people in her life are at Winterfell... and I'm not at Winterfell."

Addam stares at him for a moment, appraising him, one eyebrow raised. Jaime feels strangely exposed and uncomfortable in his seat.

"Tell me again how you are not madly in love with Brienne?"

Jaime pouts, irritated, as Addam laughs at him.

_I'm not madly in love with Brienne,_ Jaime tells himself as he continues to watch the football.

 _I'm not madly in love with Brienne,_ Jaime tells himself as he says goodbye to Addam once they have both drunk too much.

 _Oh god, am I madly in love with Brienne?_ Jaime thinks, when his phone rings at ten o'clock and his heart begins to thud wildly in his chest because it is _Brienne_ , and she's calling to wish him a Merry Sevenmas from her party at Winterfell which she is sharing with all the people who are important to her.

 _Am I important to her?_ he wonders, as his heart threatens to break through his ribs.

"Hey Jaime," she says, hushed.

"Hey Brienne," he replies, flushing even though she is thousands of miles away. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah."

It is so good to hear her voice, even though he can tell that something is wrong.

"Are you sure?"

Brienne initially doesn't answer him, but then he manages to prize the truth out. "Well, I _was_ having a good time, but then my dad phoned and apparently he can't come because he's been getting chest pains for the last few days _which he hadn't told me about_ , and then he passed out in his front garden and his neighbour had to rush him to hospital. He's getting scans down now, but I can't stay up here having a good time. I have to go and see him."

Jaime tries to understand - he has a very different relationship with his own father, after all - and puts on his best consoling voice. "Oh gods, that sounds shit, Brie."

"I know," she says sadly. "The Starks are all really upset, but I have to get back."

Jaime wants to tell Brienne that _she_ should tell the Starks to go fuck themselves, but he figured that would be a little rude. Instead, he keeps up his concerned voice. "How are you getting to Tarth?"

"There are no direct flights, they are all booked out for Sevenmas," she sighs. "So my plan is to fly down to King's Landing, then get a taxi to take me to Storm's End, before a ferry to Tarth."

"Brie, that will cost you a _fortune._ Plane tickets this late in the day will be like gold dust."

"I know, but what other options do I have?"

"I'll drive you," he says, without a second thought. "What time are you going to land?"

There is another beat of silence, and this time it is more awkward on her end. "But I land tomorrow morning. You are going to the Lannister Gala... I don't want to spoil your Sevenmas."

"Fuck the Gala," he announces, which causes Brienne to let out a little gasp. "I'll come and pick you up from Rosby, and then I'll drive you to Tarth. I can even make sure I get one of those car tickets for the ferry service, so we don't have to pick up a cab from Evenfall. The Lannister name has to count for something."

It is only when Brienne starts sniffling on the other end of the phone that Jaime realises that she is overwhelmed by his gesture, and then he doesn't quite know what to say. "Oh, thank you Jaime," she says. "You don't know what this means to me."

"No worries," he replies, smiling even though she cannot see his face. "You are my best friend, Brienne."

"And you are mine."

His heart feels so warm he thinks it might burst.

"Merry Sevenmas, Brienne. Get a good sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

He can almost hear her grin on the other end of the line. "You too, Jaime. Happy Sevenmas."

The following morning, Jaime gets up at five to make sure he is at Rosby in time to pick Brienne up. He goes armed with an overnight bag for himself - if she needs to stay with her dad for a while, he will be there for her - and a little sign that makes him feel like a chauffeur.

_Ms Brienne Tarth._

Jaime waits at the Arrivals Lounge anxiously, tapping his foot against the marble floor. He is not used to being so nervous around Brienne before; they are friends, and they share an easy type of affection which he has never experienced with anyone else before.

He only realises it is love when she comes through the glass doors.

Brienne is wearing his old _Lannisport Lions_ hoody that Jaime had lent her last year and she had never given back. Even though it is slightly too short for her and tight around the shoulders, Jaime cannot help but think it fits her perfectly. As she draws closer and he gets a look at that familiar blush and those deep, blue eyes that say so much, Jaime feels as if he has been lifted up; above the terminal's concourse and the milling people. He's missed her so much, and only now he realises it is because he misses her toothy grin and awkward pauses.

Winged by love, he flies.

"Hello, Brienne," Jaime says, the moment he sees her reddened cheeks. It's clear she has been crying. "Come, let's get you to your dad."

Without waiting a moment, Jaime puts his arm around her shoulders and enjoys the way she leans into him.

 _I'll tell her tomorrow how I really feel,_ he thinks.

_Now, she needs me._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
